Dutch Gambling Authority receives 28 licence applications
Regulator moves forward with applications despite initial hiccup in submissions portal
Twenty-eight operators have submitted applications for Dutch igaming licences, the Dutch Gambling Authority (KSA) has confirmed.
The portal to submit applications for Dutch licences opened earlier this month, following passage of the Remote Gaming Act into law.
However, submissions of applications were delayed when the portal suffered a technical fault on day one, something which has since been rectified.
Names of the operators submitting applications have not been confirmed by the KSA.
KSA chairman René Jansen said he was satisfied with the level of applications received following the opening of licensing proceedings.
“The intention of the law is to channel players from illegal providers to legally reliable providers,” Jansen said.
“With this number of applications, I am confident that there will soon be a sufficiently attractive and varied offer to achieve this objective,” he added.
Operators submitting applications to the KSA are required to pay a €48,000 application fee.
The application volume received slightly less than initial KSA estimates released in March which suggested that 35 licences would be granted by authorities, a figure down by three-quarters from the 125 indicators of interest received by the regulator in October 2020.
The potentially high tax rate applicable to online operators and stringent regulatory standards are thought to be leading many operators to avoid submitting applications.
Dutch-licensed operators will be subject to a tax rate of 29% on their respective gross gambling revenue, which is one of the highest taxation rates in Europe, as well as a 1.75% problem gambling levy.
Operators expected to enter the Dutch market include Entain, Kindred Group, Betsson and 888.
The Dutch market will officially open in October 2021.